Gluten-Free Funfetti Cupcakes (The Box Mix Hack No One Can Tell)
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Short on time but want cupcakes that taste homemade? This is my favorite shortcut. I take a gluten-free box cake mix, make three tiny swaps, and turn it into soft, bakery-style funfetti cupcakes that no one would ever guess started in a box, or that they’re gluten-free.
My 14-year-old calls them funfetti because they’re as fun as they are delicious. They disappear every single time.
Jump to RecipeThe Box Mix I Use
My go-to is King Arthur Gluten-Free Classic Yellow Cake Mix. It’s certified gluten-free, bakes up tender and golden, and it’s made for cupcakes. It’s the perfect blank canvas for these swaps.
The 3 Swaps That Make a Box Mix Taste Homemade
- Whole milk instead of water: the fat makes the crumb richer and more tender. Any milk with fat works.
- A splash of good vanilla: it’s what makes it taste like a bakery cupcake instead of a box.
- Apple cider vinegar: just a heaping tablespoon. It reacts with the leavening for a lighter, fluffier rise, and you won’t taste it.
Make Them Funfetti
Stir sprinkles right into the batter for that pop of color inside, then pipe on a swirl of my homemade buttercream and finish with more sprinkles on top. For a pink swirl like mine, add a drop of food coloring to part of the frosting.
Tips
- Use a gluten-free cake mix and check that your sprinkles are labeled gluten-free too.
- Fill liners about two-thirds full for nicely domed tops.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting so the buttercream holds its swirl.
- Doubling up? Use 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar for two boxes.
Save this one for birthdays, bake sales and last-minute parties, and tag @unbelievablygf when you make them!
Save this recipe for later on Pinterest!
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minutesIngredients
- Cupcakes
1 box (22 oz) King Arthur Gluten-Free Classic Yellow Cake Mix, or your favorite gluten-free yellow or vanilla mix
Eggs and oil or butter as listed on the box
Whole milk, in place of the water listed on the box
1 splash high-quality vanilla extract
1 heaping Tbsp apple cider vinegar (2 Tbsp if using two boxes)
Gluten-free rainbow sprinkles, to stir in
- Topping
1 batch homemade buttercream (my Best Buttercream recipe is on the site)
Extra sprinkles, for topping
Directions
- Preheat the oven and line a cupcake pan, following the temperature on the box.
- Mix the cake mix with the eggs and fat listed on the box, using whole milk instead of water.
- Add a splash of vanilla and the apple cider vinegar, and mix until smooth.
- Gently stir in the sprinkles.
- Fill liners about two-thirds full and bake according to the box directions, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool completely, then pipe on buttercream and top with more sprinkles.
Notes
- Bake time and yield follow your box mix directions.
